Reviews, Reviews, and More Reviews!

Menu

BT Headphones: Master & Dynamic MW60 Over-the-Ear Wireless Headphones

When I first opened these headphones, my inital thought was, “Wow; these look amazing.” I was excited and could hardly wait to really try them out. Master & Dynamic is relatively new to the high-end audio world, but they certainly belong in the discussion about top headphones.

Let’s start with appearance. The MW60 is an over-the-ear style BT headphone. Construction is all metal and leather; there is no plastic to be found. The ear pads are made with lambskin and memory foam. They are incredibly comfortable. The headband is covered with premium grade cowhide. The frame is stainless steel and the ear cups include machined aluminum antennas built in, which gives you massive BT range. I cannot overstate how attractive the MW60 is. This is a seriously beautiful pair of headphones.

Even the little details speak of luxury. The folding stainless steel hinges are smooth and high-quality. They allow you to fold up the MW60 for travel. The metal arms have ruler marks etched into them so you can know exactly what sizing fits your head best. The included cable, which allows for passive listening, is wrapped in braided cotton – yet another luxury touch that also aids in cutting down noise in the cable.

All that is very nice, but the big question with headphones is how they sound. In that respect, the MW60 also shines.

Info from M&D:

Dimensions 200mm x 185mm x 50mm

Drivers 45mm Neodymium

Impedance 32 ohms

Weight 345g

Detachable 1.25m Standard Cable & Micro USB Input Cord

5mm Passive Audio input micro USB charging/firmware update input

Ear Coupling – Circum-aural / Over-Ear

Omni-directional microphone

Machined Aluminum Antenna for increased range.

Lambskin ear pads with memory foam

Bluetooth 4.1 with Aptx™ high quality audio

First, connecting via BT 4.1 was quick and easy, and the connection was strong and did not fade during use. M&D says the BT connection uses Aptx high quality audio.

My son helped me test the MW60. I consider myself an audiophile, but my son has a more refined ear than I do for picking up on the most minute of subtleties in music. We both came away very impressed.

The sound field is rich and pure, thanks to the huge 45mm Neodymium drivers. Bass is punchy without being over-the-top. Highs are clear without distortion. Different instruments are clearly separated in every style of music we tried – and we tried pretty much everything. The sound is clear, rich (but not over saturated), and incredibly detailed. The only mild complaint we had was that the sound field didn’t seem quite as rich with certain types of big stadium style music, maybe something like Coldplay. By no means does that mean it sounded bad. Quite the contrary, it was still excellent, just not quite on par with how well the MW60 handled all other styles.

Many expensive headphones are great for one or two styles of music. The MW60 truly is the most versatile BT headphone I’ve tried in terms of how accurately it reproduces a wide range of sound. The separation of sounds, particularly in the mid ranges, is spectacular.

The headphones arrived almost fully charged. They last basically 12-16 hours on a charge, which is pretty strong. They charge via standard micro-USB charger.
Given the construction is all metal and leather, they are a little heavier than some others. But they are also the most comfortable headphones I have worn. The weight was not an issue.

Controls are built into the frame of the ear cups. They work immediately and without lag. Once you get used to placement, they are easy to locate.

The omnidirectional microphone works well, but it lacks a second mic, which would help with canceling ambient noise.

Which brings me to the only complaint I have: I wish the headphones included the option for active noise cancelling technology.

Luxury does not come cheap. If you do not need a noise-canceling headphone, I highly recommend these to you. The MW60 offers a first-class experience in terms of presentation, appearance, comfort, quality, and sound.